1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid pouring spouts. More particularly, the present invention relates to a detachable pouring spout for use in pouring fluids from containers having externally threaded necks and internally threaded reclosable caps.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Liquid containers can be of blow molded plastic construction and can be used to contain a variety of fluids. For example, these containers can be used in place of oil cans with sides constructed of paper and metal tops and bottoms. Like oil cans, the plastic containers are not sized and shaped to adapt to the various fluid delivery aperture configurations found in internal combustion engines so as to allow the delivery of fluid directly from the container to the engine without spillage. In order to alleviate this problem, a variety of detachable pouring spouts have been developed.
An example of a detachable pouring spout is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,453. This patent describes a spout of rigid construction that is equipped with a container piercing blade at one end and is intended for use in pouring oil from metal topped can containers. Additionally, this spout has an interior butterfly valve which can be used to retard or completely stop oil flow through the spout. Once the spout is inserted into the oil can with the valve in its closed position, the free end of the spout is positioned in the oil delivery aperture before the valve is opened to allow oil flow through the spout. This procedure avoids the spillage which occurs when the spout and container combination is initially tilted and directed toward the oil delivery aperture for insertion.
Detachable pouring spouts have also been developed for plastic containers having externally threaded necks and internally threaded reclosable caps. Pouring spouts having flexible bodies and threaded ends have been described in several U.S. Pat. e.g. Nos. 4,583,668; 4,832,238; 4,600,125. Some of these spouts can be constructed, at least in part, of accordion fold snap lock segments. A spout can threadedly connect to a container directly (U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,238); through an adapter capable of connecting a spout to containers having threaded outlets of differing diameters (U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,668); or through another segment of a spout as a flexible extension (U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,125). A butterfly valve for regulating the flow through a spout has been incorporated with a flexible spout (U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,238). Also, a cap fitted for the free end of a spout has been provided to prevent spills and contamination when a container is stored with the spout still attached (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,238 and 4,583,668).
The prior art previously described has several deficiencies. Some flexible bodied spouts which threadedly connect to containers can be reoriented relative to the containers, but may be unable to provide the "hands free" pouring afforded by spouts of rigid construction. On the other hand, use of a threaded spout-container connection in conjunction with a rigid spout restricts the position of the spout relative to the container. Moreover, when multiple containers of fluid must be poured, as is often required, using a threaded spout-container connection can require extra time in connecting and disconnecting the spout. Butterfly valves and spouts of flexible construction are useful in preventing the spillage that often occurs when the spout and container combination is initially tilted for insertion into the delivery aperture, but such features unnecessarily add to the cost and complexity of the spout. Finally, some of the rigid spouts of the prior art afford "hands free" pouring but may slip from wide delivery apertures if left unattended.
The foregoing disadvantages of the prior art are indicative of the strong need for improvement in this relatively simple yet necessary field of invention. The present invention addresses these problems attributable to the prior art while remaining relatively simple and inexpensive to construct.